Molecule-based Materials with Technologically Relevant Properties

具有技术相关特性的分子材料

• 批准号: RGPIN-2020-03969
• 负责人: Preuss, Kathryn
• 金额: $ 4.66万
• 依托单位: University of Guelph
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=739596
• 关键词: Molecule; based; Materials; Technologically; Relevant

Throughout history, every major technological advancement has been a direct result of the discovery and development of a new material. The Bronze Age, the Iron Age, and the Information Age (arguably the Silicon Age) are all familiar examples of this link between technology and materials. With this in mind, the primary goal of my research is the creation of new materials that have unprecedented properties.    My research program targets materials in which the properties are related to the molecular and supramolecular structure (i.e., how the molecules interact with one another). There are several advantages to (supra)molecular designs (as opposed to ceramics or polymers, etc.). A molecule is a precisely defined unit with an exact structure, thus a molecule-based material is reproducible and a clear property-structure relationship enables rational, iterative improvements. Molecular designs take advantage of known synthetic chemistry, and supramolecular structures can be controlled via crystal engineering.    One thrust of my research program focusses on designing materials that exhibit novel, enhanced, or new combinations of electronic properties (magnetism, ferroelectric effects, qubit functionality, interaction with light). Target species are thermally stable and soluble, and therefore amenable to low-cost, low-energy processability (e.g., surface deposition), which is especially important for practical device design. Proposed targets will exhibit magnetic and ferroelectric memory (i.e., store information about environment/history). Advances in this area will impact digital electronics (e.g., RFID systems) with applications such as safety switches and sensors. Manipulation of properties (i.e., read/write) will be possible with applied fields (magnetic, electric) and with light (photomagnetic). We will expand our research on quantum computing functionality to develop highly soluble species that are amenable to spatial manipulation on surfaces, thus overcoming current obstacles in developing inexpensive quantum computing devices (e.g., decoherence and addressability of an array of unique qubits). Achievements in this area will benefit the advancement of quantum computing technology, a field in which Canada excels, with low-cost, low-energy designs.    A parallel thrust in my research program explores the mechanical properties of our materials. We will develop new plastic crystals that can be bent or twisted. Mechanical flexibility, paired with electronic functionality, is advantageous for robust device design. Moreover, it is possible to design microcrystalline actuators that can do work, controlled by an applied field or by light. Achievements in this area overcome a major obstacle in the miniaturization of machines, namely how to power the machine. This research is necessary for the realization of microbots, capable of undertaking tasks too small or too dangerous for humans (e.g., swarm robotics to explore microscopic or hostile environments).

纵观历史，每一次重大技术进步都是一种新材料发现和发展的直接结果。青铜时代、铁器时代和信息时代(可以说是硅时代)都是技术和材料之间这种联系的熟悉例子。考虑到这一点，我研究的主要目标是创造具有前所未有的性能的新材料。我的研究项目的目标是那些性能与分子和超分子结构(即分子之间如何相互作用)相关的材料。分子设计有几个优点(相对于陶瓷或聚合物等)。分子是一个精确定义的单元，具有精确的结构，因此基于分子的材料是可重复的，清晰的性质-结构关系使合理、迭代的改进成为可能。分子设计利用了已知的合成化学，超分子结构可以通过晶体工程来控制。我的研究计划的一个重点是设计具有新颖的、增强的或新的电子性质组合的材料(磁性、铁电效应、量子位功能、与光的相互作用)。目标物种具有热稳定性和溶解性，因此易于实现低成本、低能量的可加工性(例如表面沉积)，这对实际器件设计尤为重要。提议的目标将展示磁性和铁电记忆(即，存储关于环境/历史的信息)。这一领域的进步将通过安全开关和传感器等应用影响数字电子设备(例如，RFID系统)。使用外加磁场(磁、电)和光(光磁)可以操纵属性(即读/写)。我们将扩大我们对量子计算功能的研究，以开发能够在表面进行空间操作的高度可溶的物种，从而克服目前在开发廉价量子计算设备方面的障碍(例如，一系列独特量子比特的消相干和可寻址)。这一领域的成就将有利于量子计算技术的进步，这是加拿大擅长的一个领域，具有低成本、低能源的设计。我的研究计划中有一个平行的推力，探索我们材料的机械性能。我们将开发可弯曲或扭曲的新型塑料晶体。机械灵活性与电子功能相结合，有利于坚固的设备设计。此外，可以设计微晶致动器，它可以由外加磁场或光控制来做功。这一领域的成就克服了机器小型化的一个主要障碍，即如何为机器提供动力。这项研究对于实现微型机器人是必要的，它们能够执行对人类来说太小或太危险的任务(例如，探索微观或恶劣环境的群体机器人)。